Hidden
by torchestogether
Summary: Eliza was alone in a city of the undead. Scavenging and hiding from other survivors, she runs into someone who tries to show her a new life in crumbling world. Will he be able to show her there is more to life than just staying safe?
1. Chapter One: Sightings From Afar

**For the record, I sadly do NOT own any characters from the Walking Dead.**

**Chapter One: Sightings From Afar **

I had gotten very good at hiding. These days, it was a necessary skill to survive. The world had gone insane and everything was different. Atlanta was overrun almost completely now.

Some people were fighters, but that was never my style. I was never strong enough to fight anyone off, let alone someone that didn't feel any pain. When the zombie outbreak began, I think even my family looked at me as a liability. I was the weak one; the one that everyone thought would be the first to go. They never said that, but I could see it in their eyes when I caught them looking at me while we all watched the violence unfold on television.

A few months had passed and I was the only one of my family still alive. Who would have thought, right? As it turned out, strength didn't matter when there were so many of the undead. They didn't feel pain and they didn't get tired, so fighting was often useless. At least, it was useless for them. They didn't last more than a few weeks.

I, on the other hand, was still here. Whether or not that is a good thing, I haven't decided. I was alone. Always alone, but it was almost better that way. It was easier to stay alive when I didn't have to rely on other people.

My strategy was hiding and running. It sounds simple, but it took a lot of wit and strategy. I never stayed in one place for long, but I always made sure it was a good spot. That meant it was hard to access by the undead and shielded from the sight of other survivors. People, dead and alive, were dangerous these days.

I always had everything I needed. I had found a couple of key places to sneak off to for supplies. Feeding just one person was easy if you knew were to look. So far, I was doing pretty well. I knew eventually food and clothes would start to become scarce, but for the time being, I was set.

For the moment, I was holed up in an old apartment in a high rise. It was a hike to get up to the eighth floor, but it was worth it for the added protection. A lot of other scavengers won't bother with a place in such an inconvenient location and a few well-placed barricades will keep any undead stragglers for surprising me in the middle of the night.

I was kept in stock with by scavenging through the other apartments and so far it seemed like a good plan. Apparently most of the people in the building had tried to flee when the outbreak started because most of their stuff was left behind.

There wasn't much to do these days when I wasn't searching for supplies. I spent most of my time looking out the windows of the bedroom. I watched the former citizens of Atlanta wander around aimlessly in the streets below. Sometimes I made up stories about who the people were before all of this happened. I think about what kind of jobs they might have had and what they may have liked to do in their spare time. Doing this makes me feel both better and lonely at the same time; it was a world that wasn't real anymore and never would be again.

This particular day, I was standing by the window making up another one of these stories about a woman I saw down on the street. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of movement down the street. It immediately caught my attention because it was much faster than a walker could ever move. It was most certainly a living person.

I watched as a man darted in and out of doorways and alleys. He seemed to know what he was doing as he kept out of the sight of the walkers. It struck me as unusual that he was alone. Besides myself, scavengers usually traveled in packs with loud weapons that drew attention. This guy knew how to stay quiet and sneak around the undead.

He climbed a fire escape and slipped into the second story window above the pharmacy across the street from me. There wasn't much left in the store after the initial panic and fleeing of everyone in the city, but there were still a few forgotten items that were not deemed as being important.

A few short minutes later, the man appeared on the fire escape again. He finished tucking some things into a backpack and then looked out to survey the street. I was impressed at the way he was going about everything. He was careful, not reckless like most of the other living goons I see running around the street.

As I was standing there, wondering where this mystery man was living in the city, something sent a shiver of fear down my spine. He looked straight up at me. I was far up in the building and usually out of sight, but he _saw_ me. The big windows don't attract the attention of the dead, but someone as observant as this stranger obviously was able to see my hiding spot with no problem.

The man held up his hand and waved right at me. It was a friendly gesture from an old world that I did not quite trust anymore. I shrunk back from the window slowly, my heart beating so fast I felt like I might be sick. I tried to collect myself before I moved back to the window to glance down again.

I managed to look just in time to see the man race across the street and into the alley along the side of my building. That alley was a dead end with a door that was unlocked. It was the same door I used to enter the building.

**Thank you for reading! Any suggestions or reviews would be amazing and greatly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter Two: Plans

**For the record, I sadly do NOT own any characters from the Walking Dead.**

**Chapter Two: Plans**

This man was obviously fairly knowledgeable about getting around the city. No doubt, he took notice of what floor I was on and was headed up here now. The thought of that filed me with absolute dread. My entire body felt numb and my hands began to shake. Panic coursed through my body as I desperately tried to think of a plan.

My usual course of action when it came to other living people was simple: hide. I was good at keeping out of sight and moving silently. One moment of putting my guard down was going to be my downfall now.

I ran to the door of the apartment and flipped the two locks and connected the chain. It wasn't much defense against a mass of the undead, but for most living it was enough of a hassle that they would likely skip it.

I stood by the door, ear against the wood. Straining to hear any sign of movement, I held my breath in terrified anticipation. It was almost too hard to hear what was going on outside over the sound of my own heartbeat.

The hallway on the other side of the door was silent. Maybe the man didn't come into the building after all. Maybe a walker trapped him down in the alley. Or maybe he turned around and left after I had already moved away from the window. Maybe this entire panic was all just for nothing and I was only getting myself worked up. It wouldn't have been the first time. Paranoia might be unpleasant, but it kept a person on their toes.

I was just about to turn around and go back to the window when the doorknob turned ever so slowly, startled me and making me fling myself away from the door, crouching into a defensive position. I grabbed the baseball bat I leave in the hallway for these types of situations and held it steadily in my hands, ready to strike at any sign of a break-in.

A small tap on the door quietly echoed, followed by a voice, "Hey, I promise I won't hurt you. I saw you from outside. I just want to talk."

I stayed silent; maybe if I didn't answer, he would move on to another apartment. That was always a good rule to follow that I learned from horror movies; don't ever answer back when you hear a strange noise.

"Seriously. I'm not here to hurt you or steal anything. I just wanted to talk you. I'm from a camp outside of town. If you're alone here, you could come with me. It would be safe there for you," he said, softly, "Please open the door."

I don't know what made me do it, but I started slowly walking towards the entrance. Perhaps it was his gentle tone or the fact that he didn't automatically start banging on the door to break it open, but something in me said that I could trust this guy. It was against all of my previous notions that everyone these days was bad, but as I reached my hand towards the locks, all I could think of was that maybe I _didn't_ have to be alone.

Slowly, I unlocked each of the locks and undid the chain. My hand slid to the doorknob without even a thought and I mechanically opened the door, stepping to the side. I suppose I wasn't ready to be too foolish because I held the bat up in front of me in a warning.

The man cautiously walked into the apartment, hands held up in front of him. He had a small smile that somehow made me feel at ease. His baseball cap covered his eyes slightly, but he had a kind look to him that wasn't typical these days.

"I'm Glenn," he told me, bravely sticking his hand towards me for a handshake.

I stared down at his outstretched hand in suspicion, keeping both of my hands firmly on the bat. I was willing to hear him out, but damned if I was letting him touch me. I wasn't ready to be quite that trusting just yet.

"That's okay," he replied, putting it back down by his side, "You've been here by yourself a long time, haven't you? I wouldn't trust anyone either then, I guess."

I nodded, "I move around a lot."

"What I said before….about the camp outside of the city, that's true. You don't _have _to keep moving around. You could come live with us. We have a pretty nice set up over there and plenty of food. That's kind of my job actually. I'm the one that runs into the city when we need supplies. I know it best," he rambled, seeming to be as nervous as I was.

"Why are you asking me this?" I questioned.

"What do you mean?" his brow furrowed under his cap, pushing it up slightly on his forehead.

"Wouldn't that just be one more mouth to feed?" I asked.

He shrugged, "Yeah, I guess you could look at it that way. We all help each other out doing everything though, so it balances out though. By the looks of it, you're good at surviving on your own. You could be a supply runner like me."

"I don't think so…." I responded, "I'm not a fan of large groups of people. Even living ones."

He nodded, "I understand. I just thought I'd offer. I imagine it could be lonely up here by yourself. I don't have any family anymore; the camp people are all my family. I don't know what I'd do if I had to be on my own."

"I manage," I told him.

He smiled, "You do. Well, I guess I'll just be going now. I won't tell anyone where you're staying, I promise. A good hiding spot is hard to come by."

This made me grin a little bit. He _did_ seem genuinely nice. A part of me wished that I could just go with him. He was right, it was lonely being on my own. All of my experiences just screamed at me that it was a bad idea though.

Glenn turned and started walking back to the door, but something made me call out, "I know some good places for supplies in town. Even medical supplies. I saw you went in the pharmacy. I could help you."

He turned back around to face me, "Really? Well, yeah, that would be awesome."

"Okay, meet me here tonight right after sunset. Come alone though or I won't help you. We'll go then," I told him.

**Thank you for reading! Any suggestions or reviews would be amazing and greatly appreciated!**


	3. Chapter Three: Waiting

**For the record, I sadly do NOT own any characters from the Walking Dead.**

**Chapter Three: Waiting**

As soon as he closed the door behind himself, I began pacing back and forth. What had I gotten myself into? After what had happened with my family, I had promised myself that I would not get involved with other people again. It just wasn't worth the pain or hassle that came with surviving in this world.

I toyed with idea of just leaving. If I wanted to, I could disappear into another part of the city by the time he came back. He would never find me and I could just go back to being alone. I could go back to being safe. That would be the easy thing to do.

The implications for meeting him later were complicated. He had mentioned that he lived in a camp with other people. I was certainly not a match for a group of people if they decided to kill me. On the other side of things, I did not want him to think I would come with him after we were done. Everything about living in a camp with others screamed "bad idea" to me.

My mind kept drifting to thoughts of finally not having to be alone, but I tried to push those thoughts away. As much as I missed the everyday life that used to exist before the dead began to walk, I had to be alone. That's what it took to survive. That's also all I deserved. I was not meant to be surrounded by people.

I had no idea why I even volunteered to help Glenn in the first place. It wasn't that I felt threatened to; he seemed nice enough and alone, he was someone that I might have been able to fight off. There was just something about him that seemed genuine and familiar. I was sure I hadn't met him before, but he felt like someone I could relax around. That was difficult to come by these days when most people you meet try to either steal from you or kill you.

I decided that I would show him the supply and then I would sneak off while he wasn't paying attention. I would still be helping him, but there would be no problems for me in the long run. I would then have to come back, gather my things, and move somewhere else. I couldn't have him coming back to try to persuade me to join him again. Next time, I might not be able to refuse the offer.

I figured it would be better to be cautious, so I needed to get a few things ready. I went over to the pile of things that I had thrown in the corner of the bedroom. I spent a good bit of my time picking up things that I find that I think would be useful at some point. A lot of it ends up being thrown in the corner, while even more of it tends to be left behind when I leave a place. I figure it's good to have a lot of stuff lying around and find out what I might need than to not have something when I do need it. I guess they would have called me a "pack rat" a few months ago.

After rummaging around a bit, I found what I was looking for. A couple of days ago, I had found a bullet proof vest on a cop in town. Let's just say, the cop didn't need it anymore. It might have been a bit morbid, but I do what I have do. I put it on and then put my coat back over it. I thought it might come in handy in case things take a turn for the worst tonight.

I packed a backpack with a few basic things: flashlight, some food and water, a screwdriver (it ends up being more useful than most people would think), and a small knife. Nothing major, but with a quick exit being inevitable tonight, I might need them

I made my way to the bathroom. I stood in front of the dusty mirror. I rarely looked at it; I tried to avoid it because I knew I probably looked just like one of the dead that are wandering the streets below.

My long brown hair hung around my face, lank and tangled. I tried to comb through it with my fingers, but it barely even made a difference. I hadn't put much thought into what I looked like in a while and now it was too late to even fix it. I made a mental note to try to find a brush in one of the stores the next time I went out.

_What am I doing?_ I thought to myself.

It shouldn't matter what I looked like. Just because I was meeting with Glenn did not mean I had to look nice. I don't know what I was thinking. I supposed maybe it was just a left over habit from my life before; a life of high school dances and awkward dates. I doubted we would be going to dinner and a movie after we killed some zombies tonight.

I spent the next couple of hours pacing around the small apartment. I planned and re-planned the evening's trip over and over out of habit. I liked to be precise and it helped to keep my mind somewhat calm.

Before I knew it, it was sunset. The apartment quickly got dark without electricity, so I was pacing in the blackness with only the tiny bit of moonlight from outside shining in the windows. It was too risky to light candles. I had learned that lesson once before.

Time continued to tick by and soon I lost all track of how late it was. It had to have been somewhere close to midnight before I finally gave up and laid down on the bed, staring up at the dark ceiling.

Glenn hadn't shown up. I tried to tell myself I wasn't disappointed. It was better this way. It was a sign of weakness that I had wanted to see him again anyway. I knew better than that.

Either way, tomorrow I would have to move. I didn't know who he told about my whereabouts and I wasn't going to take any chances.

It was right as I was thinking about all I wanted to take with me when I heard it. A car's tires screeching across the pavement on the street, engine roaring and echoing throughout the empty. That was going to draw some attention.

**Thank you for reading! Any suggestions or reviews would be amazing and greatly appreciated!**


	4. Chapter Four: Decisions

**Author's Note: I do apologize for this taking so long to get out. I've been extremely unmotivated and I have the worst writer's block. If anyone out there has any tips about keeping ideas flowing, please send them my way!**

**For the record, I sadly do NOT own any characters from the Walking Dead.**

**Chapter Four: Decisons**

I ran to the window, peeking down into the street below. The engine's sound echoed. It had to be the noisiest sound I've heard in weeks. These days, the only noise was usually the low moans of the dead. The loudness of it made me uneasy. To be loud in this world was to be found. To be loud was to be dead.

The car's headlights came to almost a stop. A dark figure burst out of the passenger's side door and the car took off again, this time blaring its horn and flashing its high beams.

"What the hell are they doing? Dumbasses…" I mumbled, shaking my head in disbelief.

I continued to watch as the figure, now unnoticed by the walkers who were chasing the car, made its way to the door of my building.

"No," I whispered, "He wouldn't be coming this late. That's crazy."

I quickly made my way to the door, listening. Sure enough, footsteps made their way up the stairs with purpose. It had to be him.

Two seconds later, a knock gently sounded, "Eliza, its me."

I opened the door to reveal Glenn in the dark hallway.

"Are you insane?" I hissed, pulling him inside and closing the door.

He took his baseball cap off and ran his fingers through his head, "I'm sorry. I know we were supposed to meet earlier, but we had to move camp again today. We almost got overrun with walkers. It happens sometimes."

"The car?" I demanded.

At this, Glenn had to hold back what looked like an arrogant smile, "That was my idea."

My face must have had my disbelief written all over it.

"A diversion. It distracts the walkers," he explained, "We do it a lot. It seems to work pretty well. They're not very smart."

I mulled this over for a second. As ridiculous and risky as it sounded, it actually was a good idea. It was an idea that I would have never been brave enough to ever try. A small hint of envy bubbled inside me for a brief moment, but I pushed it away.

"Can we go to that place you were talking about now?" he asked.

"Its nighttime," I replied, looking around me to indicate that that was obvious.

"And we have backup in a car," Glenn countered.

I scoffed, "Yeah, that's not going to happen. No offense, but I'm not going to go out there with any of your people running around. Actually, the deal is off altogether. I agreed to show you at a specific time and alone, not in the middle of the night with a bunch of other people. That wasn't the agreement."

"I promise I'm telling the truth. We really did just have to move the camp. I'm sorry I'm late. I had to bring other people to get here in the dark. What if I came back tomorrow morning?" he pleaded.

"Actually, I'm not going to be here tomorrow. I'm heading out," I replied, vaguely.

As disappointed as I had felt when Glenn hadn't shown up earlier, I was not about to make that mistake in judgment again. I just couldn't risk it. Emotions had no place in my life anymore.

Glenn sighed, "Please, don't do that. There are so few people left anymore. We need to stick together. There are other people out there who aren't like us. They will hurt you. We could use a smart girl like you in our group."

"So you just came here to recruit me? That's still what this is about, isn't it?" I shot back, "You're got to be kidding me. I thought I made it pretty damn clear that I didn't need any of you. I'm doing just fine on my own."

Glenn gave me an exasperated look and put his baseball cap back on, defeated. He opened his mouth a couple of times as if to say something, but he didn't get anything out.

I walked over to the door and held it open, pointedly.

He shook his head and walked over to the doorway, pausing before he went out, "Our camp is on the outskirts of the city. A couple miles off the main highway near the old reservoir."

I said nothing, tension feeling the air. I held my breath as I waited for him to make his way back into the dark hall. I shut the door behind him, making extra sure to turn all the locks.

I listlessly went over to the empty kitchen. I sat down on the cold tile, my back against the cabinet. I stared straight ahead, not seeing anything. My body felt icy; I wondered if this was what the walkers felt like.

I began to do something I hadn't allowed myself to do since everything had initially happened; I cried. My lungs gasped for air in between wracking sobs. I buried my face in my knees to try to muffle the sound, but I couldn't make myself stop. My throat felt raw and my head began to ache.

All of the pain I had been feeling came to a head; sending Glenn away was my final breaking point. I was obviously not as strong as I had thought.

I let myself succumb to the tears. I curled up on the floor, my face pressed against the hard floor. My tears making the spot underneath me slick.

The sound of my ragged breathing the only noise in the entire apartment, I don't think I even slept for a minute that night before the sun began to rise.

**Thank you for reading! Any suggestions or reviews would be amazing and greatly appreciated!**


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